May 2020

Swedish pension giant joins risk transfer market

Alecta, a Swedish pension fund manager, has announced it will be working alongside Dutch healthcare pension fund PGGM in the risk transfer market, taking 30% of deals PGGM invests in. PGGM is the largest single investor in significant risk transfer deals, growing a €5bn book which references €70bn of portfolios, and advocating to regulators and others for the benefits of the market.It is one of the only pension funds regularly active as a direct investor in... Read More @Global Capital

US. Public pension funds are a net gain for state and local revenue – study

Public pension funds were net revenue generators for state and local governments in 2018, surpassing taxpayer contributions by $179 billion, according to a biennial study released Tuesday by the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems. That represents a 30.6% increase from the original study covering 2015-2016. In 2018, pension funds generated about $341.4 billion in state and local revenues through investments and retiree spending, while the taxpayer contribution to those pension plans was $162 billion. For 40 states,...

Four Clues To The Future Of Financial Services Firms And Fintech

As I write this, I can’t help thinking about what my ‘new normal’ looks like. The less than perfect moments involve me turning around and yelling at the dog to stop barking at the rare person who goes past our front door; he is both interrupter and sometimes star of my client video conferences. Obviously, my request is futile. According to a canine expert friend, my yelling sounds to the dog like a joyous bark and therefore encourages more...

S. Korea’s NPS joins int’l buyout of Portuguese toll roads operator Brisa

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) joined Dutch pension manager APG Asset Management and Swiss Life Asset Managers for multi-billion dollar acquisition of a combined 81.1 percent stake in Portugal’s leading toll roads operator Brisa – Auto-Estradas de Portugal (Brisa). The consortium in the biggest-ever Portuguese buyout amidst an ongoing virus pandemic will assume 40.55 percent from London-based Arcus European Infrastructure Fund 1 (Arcus) and another 40.55 percent from Portuguese conglomerate Jose de Mello Group (JdM), according to industry...

UK Corporate Pension Funding Hammered by Pandemic in April

The accounting position of the defined benefit pension plans of the UK’s FTSE 350 companies plummeted in April as it swung from a surplus of £10 billion ($12.4 billion) at the end of March to a deficit of £52 billion at the end of the April due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from consulting firm Mercer’s Pensions Risk Survey shows that liabilities of the UK’s 350 largest listed companies surged by £102 billion to £897 billion at...

Kenya. State pension pay to rise 29pc next year

The Treasury will spend nearly a third more on paying pensioners in the fiscal year beginning July, with the actual total amount to be spent for the first time expected to exceed Sh100 billion. According to estimates released to Parliament, the total pensions and gratuities paid will amount to Sh119.19 billion, from revised estimates of Sh92.49 billion of the fiscal year ending in June. This is Sh26.7 billion or 29 percent higher. It underlines the extent of liabilities the public has...

Ara Partners closes USD-400m industrial decarbonisation fund

Private equity firm Ara Partners has achieved a USD-400-million (EUR 369.5m) close for its debut fund, Ara Fund I LP, which was created to support the decarbonisation of the industrial economy through investments in North America and Europe. Capital commitments came from various institutional investors in North America, Europe and Asia, including public pensions, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations and family offices. “We seek near-term, tangible carbon reductions and profitable growth through rapid adoption of sustainable industrial products and...

UK Corporate Pension Funding Hammered by Pandemic in April

The accounting position of the defined benefit pension plans of the UK’s FTSE 350 companies plummeted in April as it swung from a surplus of £10 billion ($12.4 billion) at the end of March to a deficit of £52 billion at the end of the April due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from consulting firm Mercer’s Pensions Risk Survey shows that liabilities of the UK’s 350 largest listed companies surged by £102 billion to £897 billion...

Kenya. State pension pay to rise 29pc next year

The Treasury will spend nearly a third more on paying pensioners in the fiscal year beginning July, with the actual total amount to be spent for the first time expected to exceed Sh100 billion. According to estimates released to Parliament, the total pensions and gratuities paid will amount to Sh119.19 billion, from revised estimates of Sh92.49 billion of the fiscal year ending in June. This is Sh26.7 billion or 29 percent higher. It underlines the extent of liabilities the...

What are the implications for pension funds coming out of coronavirus crisis?

By Janet Rabovsky Last August, I wrote about whether central banks were creating a financial bubble with their coordinated easing programs intended to spur economic growth and/or lift inflation. In January 2020, I wrote about the end of the economic cycle, the potential for a recession and what that might mean for positioning an investment portfolio. Little did I know, when I wrote these articles, that we would be experiencing further central bank action as a result of COVID-19,...